Peace Declaration (1984)

August 6, 1945. Who can forget that momentous flash of light when the atomic bomb exploded above Hiroshima, that terrible heat, and that earthshaking explosion!

Reborn out of the indescribable catastrophe of atomic bombing, Hiroshima has repeatedly appealed for the abolition of nuclear arms and the attainment of lasting peace.

Yet the distrust and hostility between the United States and the Soviet Union festers unabated, and the two superpowers seek an artificial security in the doctrine of nuclear deterrence and ever greater stocks of nuclear weapons. Having broken off their Strategic Arms Reduction Talks and their Intermediate-range Nuclear Forces negotiations, they pursue a reckless nuclear arms race toward oblivion.

Not content with deploying sophisticated intermediate-range missiles in Europe and Asia, they now project their nuclear strategies even into space, thus exacerbating global military tensions and pushing the world to the very brink of nuclear war.

Nuclear war will leave neither winners nor losers, for all humankind will perish in its holocaust.

Confronted with this danger, there is a global welling up of movements for disarmament, including the initiative by the leaders of India, Sweden, and four other countries calling on the nuclear powers for nuclear disarmament.

Popular campaigns against nuclear arms have arisen spontaneously, and "the Spirit of Hiroshima" has permeated the whole world to strengthen the groundswell of international public opinion in the cause of peace.

We solemnly urge the nuclear powers to heed this international outcry, to initiate an immediate and comprehensive nuclear test ban, and to begin to eliminate their nuclear armories. We especially urge the United States and the Soviet Union, which together have the power of life of death over our species, to promptly resume their disarmament negotiations, to overcome the discord between them, and to hold a Peace Summit.

As the only country ever to have been subjected to nuclear bombings, Japan should adhere fast to its Constitutional principles of peace, faithfully uphold its three non-nuclear principles, and do its utmost to promote nuclear disarmament and the easing of East-West tensions.

We are today at an important crossroad, one path leading to survival and the other to death and destruction.

It is imperative that we uphold the lofty ideal of lasting world peace and use our collective wisdom to redirect the tide of history from confrontation to communication, from animosity to amiability.

Hiroshima and Nagasaki have appealed for solidarity among all cities everywhere desiring peace, cooperation, and the abolition of the nuclear threat. This appeal has found an increasingly receptive audience, and we now propose to hold a "World Conference of Mayors for Peace through Inter-city Solidarity" next year on the 40th anniversary of the atomic bombing to see if a new order of peace cannot be born of this inter-city solidarity.

Today on the occasion of the 39th anniversary of the atomic bombing, we call upon the Government of Japan to promote and strengthen relief measures for atomic bomb survivors and bereaved families under the principle of national indemnification - just as we pray for the repose of the souls of the fallen victims and pledge ourselves anew to the cause of peace.

August 6, 1984

Takeshi Araki
Mayor
The City of Hiroshima